Amazon Is Offering Developers Up To $15,000 In Amazon Coins To Make Apps For Its Fire Phone

Amazon's new Fire Phone offers some unique features, and Amazon
is making sure developers have the proper incentive to create
apps that tap into them.

Amazon is offering $5,000 per app optimized for Fire Phone, paid
out in tax-free Amazon Coins, the digital currency that lets you
buy stuff in Amazon's Appstore. Each developer account can create
up to three qualifying apps for a total potential payday of
$15,000.

Basically, Amazon is ensuring that its new 3-D "Dynamic
Perspective" feature will be used to some extent in the app,
which would help the feature from falling into gimmicky
obscurity. Dynamic Perspective is a bit similar to the parallax
feature on iPhones, but it takes things to another level by using
the Fire Phone's extra cameras to add 3-D depth to apps and home
screens, so that things shift and react to your movements.

Other than that, Amazon is also requiring apps to integrate with
its multitasking user interface "Carousel" to keep browsing
between different apps cohesive.

Why is Amazon offering developers essentially free money?

It's important to remember that Amazon is entering the smartphone
market at a time where fragmentation is at an all time high. This
trend can increase the workload for developers seeking to offer
their app on as many platforms as possible, an issue Android has
run into into in the past, and Apple could face if it continues
to expand its iPhone product line.

This is simply Amazon's way of compensating developers for taking
the extra time to make sure their app plays well with Fire Phone.

Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his
personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.